Quebec Court of Appeal overturns sexual assault verdict for skating coach

Quebec’s Court of Appeal overturned a guilty verdict against a renowned skating coach accused of sexual assault and gross indecency.

Richard Gauthier was found guilty of assaulting a young athlete in the 1980s and sentenced to 12 months in jail in 2023.

Gauthier’s lawyers argued the verdict should be overturned in accordance with rules prohibiting multiple convictions for the same incident.

He also sought appeal against the 12-month sentence.

Court of Appeal Judge Patrick Healy overturned both charges and the sentence.

In his judgment, Healy said there were many omissions and contradictions in the complainant’s testimony and that the burden of proof was not met.

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